


Where Are You Right Now?

by theVelveteenPlatypus



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Beach Holidays, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Gen, Skateboarding, Summer Vacation, grumpy!Changkyun, sunshine!Kihyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25672117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theVelveteenPlatypus/pseuds/theVelveteenPlatypus
Summary: Kihyun readjusted his grip on the skateboard he carried everywhere. "Where are you right now?"Changkyun sighed, "Elsewhere. Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."---Got the idea from the MV concept for "I Love You" by Bobby. Just some summer-y fluff to counteract gloomy days.
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M & Yoo Kihyun, Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Where Are You Right Now?

Destination

  1. (noun): the place to which someone or something is going or being sent.
  2. (adjective): being a place that people will make a special trip to visit.



Grand (adjective): magnificent and imposing in appearance, size, or style.

\---

Changkyun walked with Kihyun towards the beach, letting the other boy fill the silence with idle chatter. It was a beautiful day, complete with seagulls overhead and a soft, salty breeze off the ocean. It was idyllic. Changkyun scowled, kicking at stray pebbles as they walked.

“Earth to Changkyun?”

Changkyun looked up at a curious Kihyun, plastering a half-hearted smile on his face, but Kihyun’s frown told him it must have turned out as more of a grimace.

Kihyun readjusted his grip on the skateboard he carried everywhere. “Where are you right now?”

Changkyun sighed, “Elsewhere. Sorry. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

Kihyun looked sympathetic. “The rentals fighting again?”

Changkyun nodded. His _parental units_ , or _rentals_ for short, had been locked in a shouting match for most of the night. He wondered if his parents had actually believed that joining Kihyun’s family on their annual beach vacation would magically make them get along for a few weeks, or if they were just taking pity on him for having to be around their fighting all the time. His family and the Yoo’s were next-door neighbors, so he and Kihyun had grown up together— Changkyun had always been jealous of Kihyun’s summer getaway, wishing that he could escape, too, but his parents coming along kind of defeated the purpose.

“You can come over tonight,” Kihyun offered. “Get away from them for a while.”

Changkyun shook his head. “That’s okay, your mom is probably sick of me being over all the time. I can get ear plugs or something.”

Kihyun waved off his comment. “My mom adores you and you know it. Besides, Netflix just added a bunch of movies, which means we are obligated to find the worst one and watch it. It’s tradition, and I’m not going to suffer through it by myself. So, really, you _have_ to come over tonight.”

Changkyun gave Kihyun a grateful smile, and the other boy grinned back at him. They kept walking in comfortable silence, and Changkyun left the innocent pebbles alone.

Eventually, they made it to the parking lot they had adopted as a hangout spot. Kihyun dropped his skateboard and expertly jumped on, carving a lazy circle around the empty lot. Changkyun went to the low cement wall and hopped up so that he could perch there. He watched Kihyun follow invisible patterns across the asphalt and leaned back on his hands.

They had only been here for a week, but he had already settled comfortably into their vacation routine. Changkyun texted Kihyun whenever he woke up, they walked to this parking lot together, and then Changkyun watched Kihyun skateboard until they decided to do something else. Every day, Kihyun would invite Changkyun to try it, and every day Changkyun would refuse. He’d stick to walking.

After about half an hour, Changkyun heard the wheels of Kihyun’s board approaching. He was lounging on the wall with his eyes closed and head tilted back to feel the sun on his face, half-dozing in a warm contentment. He lifted his head and Kihyun dismounted the board, kicking it up into his hand. Here it comes.

“Your turn,” Kihyun said cheerfully, holding out the skateboard.

“Oh, no,” Changkyun said, holding up his hands as he had every day. “I’ll just watch.”

“Oh, no,” Kihyun repeated, going off script. He pointed at Changkyun. “This isn’t a summer for watching. This is a summer for doing.”

“But—”

“Get on the skateboard.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so?” Changkyun scowled. “I am not getting on that skateboard.”

“Yes,” Kihyun insisted, a stupid grin on his face, “you are.”

“No!” Changkyun shook his head and crossed his arms. “I will fall, I promise.”

“That’s a strange promise to make.”

“I’m serious. I have a hard enough time standing on solid, unmoving ground. You know that.”

“Who said anything about standing?”

Changkyun looked at the skateboard warily, then back up at Kihyun. “...What do you mean.”

“You can sit,” Kihyun said brightly. “I was thinking about it on the walk over. As long as you’re on a skateboard, you’re technically skateboarding.”

“But—”

“There are no rules in skateboarding,” Kihyun continued, speaking over Changkyun’s half-formed protest. “All you need is a board and a destination.”

“How… zen of you,” Changkyun grumbled.

“What can I say? I’m a generally zen kind of guy.”

Changkyun glared at Kihyun, wondering how someone could be _so_ cheerful _all_ the time. It was a mystery how they had stayed friends at all, what with Changkyun’s general cynicism. “Okay. Say, for the sake of argument, that I agree to sit on the skateboard. We’d still need a destination, right? Hypothetically speaking.”

“Well, we’re on _this_ side of the parking lot right now,” Kihyun said, pointing at their feet for emphasis. “So… how about _that_ side of the parking lot?” He gestured towards the other end of the lot, a whopping 100 feet away.

Changkyun looked at Kihyun, not sure if he was kidding or not. He seemed serious. “100 feet away isn’t a destination.”

“Says who?”

“Says everyone!” Changkyun threw up his hands in exasperation. “Destinations are supposed to be… I don’t know, grand or something. Like this vacation. You’re supposed to plan for them, build up to them—”

“ _Grand_?” Kihyun asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious!”

“Alright,” Kihyun said, resting his free hand on his hip. “Say, for the sake of argument, that the title of ‘destination’ hinges solely on the grandeur of a place. How do you know that the other side of the parking lot isn’t grand?”

“Uh… because it’s a _parking lot_?”

“Have you been to that side of the parking lot?”

“No—”

“Then you can’t know for sure.”

Changkyun studied Kihyun, but couldn’t find any malice. Still, despite the easy smile, Changkyun narrowed his eyes. “...You’re making fun of me.”

Kihyun shook his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m simply explaining that whoever taught you that parking lots can’t be grand is full of shit. Besides, I’ve spent more time here than you have. I’m more qualified to determine what is or isn’t a destination.”

“This is ridiculous,” Changkyun muttered under his breath.

“Is it, though?”

“ _Kihyun_ …”

“Okay fine,” Kihyun said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Let’s make a deal. You sit on this skateboard right now, dare to embark on a 100-foot quest across the parking lot, and if that side isn’t grand enough to be a destination, then you never have to ride a skateboard ever again.”

Changkyun pondered this. 100 feet on a skateboard and he’d never have to get on one ever again? They could go back to their summer without Kihyun badgering him every day? Plus, there was no chance that the other side of the parking lot would be _grand_ so… what did he have to lose?

Changkyun huffed. “Fine.”

“And if I’m right—”

“You’re not going to be right.”

“— _if I’m right_ , then we’re coming here tomorrow morning right before sunrise.”

Changkyun gaped. “ _Before_ sunrise?”

“Yep,” Kihyun said, that stupid grin back on his stupid face.

“But… that’s so early! I’ll never be able to wake up before the sun.”

Kihyun shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“ _If_.”

“Yeah, sure, _if_. Deal?”

“...Fine. Whatever. Deal. Now can we get this over with?”

Kihyun beamed. “That’s the spirit!”

Changkyun returned his attention to the skateboard, sizing it up like he might a particularly large bug that he hadn’t yet decided was dangerous or not. “I just… sit?”

“Yep,” Kihyun confirmed, dropping the skateboard to the ground. “I’m even going to push you _all the way_ to our grand destination. All you have to do is not fall off.”

Changkyun slowly lowered himself until he was balancing precariously on the skateboard. “This is so stupid,” he reiterated, needing to make his stance clear.

He tucked his legs to his chest so that his feet were on the board, and held onto the sides so that he wouldn’t fall off. Hopefully.

Kihyun rested his hands on Changkyun’s shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Ready?”

“I guess—”

Kihyun suddenly pushed him forward and Changkyun gripped the skateboard, his entire body tense. The board tilted on its wheels as he sat rigidly, uncomfortably aware of how uneven the asphalt was. Had it always been so bumpy? How did Kihyun ride this thing while _standing_?

Kihyun kept a steady pressure on his shoulders, and Changkyun braced himself for any weaving the other boy might throw into their ‘quest’ but Kihyun kept them on a perfectly straight path and soon enough, Changkyun felt hands pulling instead of pushing to ease him into a gentle stop.

“And we have arrived!” Kihyun announced.

Changkyun stayed frozen for a few seconds, waiting for the catch, but when nothing happened he very carefully maneuvered his feet so that he could stand. He quickly stepped away from the skateboard and surveyed this new side of the parking lot. It was just a parking lot, and he breathed a sigh of relief. No more skateboarding.

Making a show of looking around, Changkyun tapped his chin with a finger, resting his other hand on his hip. “You know,” he said, “I had a feeling this might happen.” He turned to Kihyun and made a broad gesture to include all of their surroundings. “ _T_ _his_ side of the parking lot looks an awful lot like _that_ side of the parking lot. Not very grand.”

Kihyun didn’t look disappointed at all, still grinning like an idiot. “That’s because you’re not looking close enough.”

Kicking the skateboard into his hands, Kihyun beckoned Changkyun towards the low wall. Changkyun followed, wondering what the other boy was up to, and he peered over the edge with Kihyun. There, half hidden by scraggly bushes, was what appeared to be a set of stairs descending underground.

Changkyun’s jaw dropped. “What _is_ that?”

“A set of stairs,” Kihyun deadpanned.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Changkyun said, flicking Kihyun’s shoulder. “Where do they go?”

“Under the lot.”

“There’s another level?”

“Kind of, yeah.” Kihyun shrugged. “Erosion hollowed out a space under the concrete, and the locals have managed to open it up and bring in supports to keep the lot from collapsing.”

Changkyun frowned. “That’s reassuring.”

Kihyun continued, ignoring Changkyun’s grumbling. “They call it Graffiti Cove. It’s kind of a secret, though, so keep it on the DL.”

“Wait,” Changkyun said, taking a step away from the wall. “We’re going down there?”

Kihyun gestured back at the parking lot. “I mean, we _did_ come all this way…”

Changkyun stuck out his tongue, making the other boy laugh. Hiking the skateboard under his arm, Kihyun hopped onto the wall and swung his legs around so that he could drop to the other side. Changkyun hesitated for a moment, but then followed suit. They stood at the top of the stairs, Changkyun peering into the shadows, but as far as he could tell the stairs led nowhere.

Kihyun practically skipped down the stairs, while Changkyun picked his way down more carefully. He could barely see enough to determine the stairs had ended, and he felt more than saw the space opening up around them. Blinking a few times to help his eyes adjust, he watched the vague outline of Kihyun pacing leisurely around the perimeter until he could finally make out the sloping walls.

“Woah,” Changkyun breathed.

Every inch of wall space was covered with colorful graffiti. The layers of paint created a riot of patterns, most of the designs overlapped by at least one other tag, and the faint, sharp smell of recent spraypaint lingered in the cool air. Graffiti Cove, indeed.

“This is incredible,” Changkyun murmured, his quiet words amplified by the walls.

“I know, right?” Kihyun beamed, spinning slowly with his arms outstretched. “It’s a great place to be during the hottest part of the day, since it’s underground and stays cool, but I prefer to come in the mornings when it’s quiet and I have the place to myself.”

Changkyun approached the nearest wall, reaching out to lightly run his fingers across the smooth surface. “Why didn’t you tell me about this place before?”

“I was saving it.” Kihyun’s smile turned teasing. “Good thing, too, otherwise I might have lost our destination bet. Pretty grand, right?”

Changkyun rolled his eyes. “I guess.”

“Come on, admit it,” Kihyun said. “This side of the parking lot is grand.”

"Technically we’re _underneath_ the parking lot,” Changkyun muttered.

“Yes,” Kihyun admitted, “but we’re also technically on _this side_ of the parking lot.” He walked over to stand beside Changkyun, bumping their shoulders together. “I was right. Admit it.”

“I mean—”

“ _Y_ _ou were right, Kihyun_ ,” the other boy sang.

“Fine! You were right.” Turning back to the wall, Changkyun sighed. “This is pretty grand.”

Kihyun bounced on the balls of his feet, clapping his hands together. “And since you’re coming over tonight, it’ll be easy to wake you up before sunrise!”

Changkyun groaned. “You don’t have to sound so chipper about it.”

“Trust me, it’ll be worth it. I was right about the parking lot, wasn’t I?”

“I’m _not_ saying it again.”

Kihyun shrugged, grinning. “It was worth a shot. Come on, let’s head back up. The ice cream place opens soon, and I want to commemorate my being right with a waffle cone.”

Changkyun rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help a smile of his own. “You’re impossible.”

“Yes,” Kihyun agreed brightly.

“Okay,” Changkyun conceded, “let’s go get ice cream. We can choose our movie for tonight while we’re there.”

“I bet the worst one will be a slasher of some kind,” Kihyun mused, turning towards the stairs. “Probably college kids renting a cabin for spring break on a haunted island or something.”

“I’m not taking a bet I know I’ll lose.”

“You mean… like you lost just now?”

Changkyun sighed again, shaking his head. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”

“Nope!”

Changkyun turned to follow Kihyun, but after a few steps he returned his attention to the walls. “Graffiti Cove…” he whispered, marveling at the space. He had to admit, it really was a destination. He had never seen anything quite like it, and he was already looking forward to coming back.

He heard footsteps behind him and then Kihyun’s voice. “Hey,” the other boy said softly, “where are you right now?”

Changkyun spared one last look at all of the tags, and then turned back to his friend. “Here,” he assured Kihyun with a smile. “I’m here.”

**Author's Note:**

> You made it to the end! I might write in this universe again, see how the rest of their vacation goes, so another chapter or two might pop up eventually. I just have so much other writing to get done first D:  
> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
